Wet Ill. snow should help guard against drought

CHAMPAIGN (AP) — A climate expert says the spring snowstorm that blanketed much of Illinois brought an unusually heavy, wet snow, and that could help the state to continue to recover from drought.

Brian Fuchs is a climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center. He says 15 inches of typical Midwest snow has the same water content as an inch of rain. This storm packed an inch of water into just 7 or 8 inches of snow.

The U.S. Drought Monitor says all of Illinois is now out of last year's drought. But heading into spring the state continues to sit uncomfortably close to drought conditions.

Fuchs says this storm should help but just how much depends on how much of that snow melts on top of still-frozen ground and runs off.